We have been asked to publicise this job vacancy by Dr Saul Berkovitz – who is Clinical Director of the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine.
We have pointed out that in order to be consistent with the new NICE guideline, there should be a change in name of the service from CFS to ME/CFS
There are only a small number of specialist referral services north of the Thames in London for people with ME/CFS. This represents a serious failure in the duty of care for people with ME/CFS by health service commissioners in London
So if you have been to this service, or are being seen there at the moment, please let us have your feedback – positive or negative here: feedback@meassociation.org.uk
Job Details
The post-holder will be accountable to Dr Chris Turner Divisional Clinical Director of Queen Square and responsible to Dr Saul Berkovitz, Clinical Director, RLHIM. The job plan comprises 80% direct clinical care (outpatient clinics, which will be a mixture of face-to-face and remote (telephone / video), patient administration (1h per 3.5h of clinic slots), multidisciplinary meetings) and 20% supporting professional activities (continuing professional development, statutory and mandatory training and other clinical governance activities).
More information on the service offered can be found here
Physician
To provide clinical therapeutic services to RLHIM, seeing complex, chronically ill, usually multi-morbid patients with ME/CFS Fibromyalgia and associated conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression. Patients will usually have been fully investigated before being referred to RLHIM. If diagnosis is in doubt, further investigations may be requested via the GP, referring specialist, or other departments at UCLH. The team consists of a consultant physician, two specialty doctors, a liaison psychiatrist, and a senior occupational therapist, physiotherapist, CBT therapist and dietician providing multidisciplinary condition management programmes based on NICE and international guidelines. There are strong links with other UCLH services including Pain, Rheumatology, Neuropsychology, Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases, Autonomics, and Adolescent ME/CFS.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Service provision: outpatient clinics providing safe and appropriate care for patients. Tailoring a programme of care for the individual to support emotional and physical wellbeing. Liaison with members of their specialist teams at RLHIM, UCLH and other hospitals. Responding to patient queries in a timely fashion.
- 2h 15 mins job planned time for multidisciplinary team meetings per month
- Keeping up to date appropriately with CME and statutory/mandatory training
- Prompt and effective communication by clinical letters to GPs and referrers
- Prompt response to colleagues by e-mail